Celebrating three years of growth, community, and innovation in Vermont’s cannabis scene.
By Anne Archer, Vermont Country correspondent.
When Colleen McQuade, owner of Juniper Lane, heard adult-use cannabis was on the path to legalization, she couldn’t have been happier.
“I called my stepmom and said, ‘I think I can do this,’” McQuade said, referring to opening her own cannabis dispensary. “I think I can do it better than some of the other companies.”
Her stepmom wholeheartedly agreed and nine months after that phone call, McQuade opened Juniper Lane (named after her first pipe), the first cannabis dispensary in Bennington.
That was three years ago, time that McQuade said has gone by quickly, and Juniper Lane is not only going strong, the dispensary continues to grow.
Juniper Lane Cultivation
Last year, McQuade started a small, indoor, on-site cultivation with James Levin as the master grower. McQuade said the grows are going well and she is looking forward to the next harvest, adding that Levin has dialed in the genetics of the strains and has been focused on the details that come with growing.
Along with the indoor grow, Juniper Lane started their own cartridge product line this year that include five strains: Green Crack, Grand Daddy Purple, Acapulco Gold, Chocolope, and Gorilla Glue. McQuade is in the process of wholesaling the cartridges across the state along with cannabis gummies manufactured with the extra biomass from the on-site grow.
Juniper Lane Receives Approvals from Vermont Cannabis Control Board
Recently, Vermont’s Cannabis Control Board has given authorization to Juniper Lane to sell all-in-one vape disposables, a device that is new to the Vermont market. The all-in-one vape is a pre-filled, single-unit vaping device that combines the battery, oil or liquid, and mouthpiece into a single, disposable product.
“Due to packaging regulations, it’s been hard to get disposables to the market,” McQuade said, adding that the hardware is something people ask for every single day because they are convenient, discreet, and easy to use.
Another win for Juniper Lane came when the dispensary received a medical endorsement from the CCB.
According to McQuade, once training for the program is completed, which should be in early December, the store will be selling medical cannabis to registered medical patients. Patients have access to more cannabis products, they do not pay any tax on their purchases, and their limit per transaction is higher.
McQuade, who served as general manager of the now-defunct PhytoCare Vermont medical dispensary in Bennington, has seen firsthand how cannabis can help those suffering with illness.
“My mom was really sick with cancer when I was growing up and I know that she used cannabis and she would just seem better every time she did,” McQuade said. “That was my first introduction to cannabis, that it helped people.”
Surprises in Cannabis Business
After three years in the ever-evolving cannabis industry, McQuade has seen a lot but her biggest surprise has been the warm welcome she has received from the Bennington community.
“I feel so welcomed into the downtown, the community, the lives of the customers who come into my store on a regular basis, and the great visitors we get from all over,” McQuade said, adding the people coming into her store is the best part of her job. “I love getting to talk to my customers every day at the store and getting to know them and finding cannabis solutions for them.”
McQuade’s second surprise is how many regulatory changes have incurred in the Vermont cannabis industry over the past three years.
“Our benchmarks are always changing and as the industry progresses and grows and gets the kinks out, changes are expected but sometimes it feels like everything is changing,” McQuade said.
The Future
McQuade is excited and optimistic about the future of cannabis in Vermont, expressing hope for Legislative approval to host consumption events.
“We’re really lucky in Vermont,” McQuade said. “We have great product. Great growers. Great manufacturers. I feel like there’s a lot to look forward to.”
McQuade, who got into the cannabis industry for many reasons, one being she loves the plant. But she has found many intangible reasons to work with cannabis, like valuable relationships with her customers, her vendors, her cultivators, and her manufacturers.
“Those relationships and the effort and the quality that is produced in our state is really top notch and I feel really honored to work with these people and to carry their product,” McQuade said. “I hope to grow so I can expand into more and more because there are so many great options in Vermont.”
While she isn’t expanding into Vermont yet, McQuade opened a second Juniper Lane dispensary in Atlantic City, New Jersey in December.
Just another thing for McQuade to look forward to.
